Cassie is a mixed martial artist with over five years of study. Training primarily in South Korea, she has black belts in Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Muay Thai kickboxing. A proud Canadian from Roberts Arm, Newfoundland, she files for The Crossfire having recently returned from South Korea. She also blogs for Postmedia Networks’ Womens Fight Club website.. Image courtesy Steve Bartlett

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER SEASON 17 WEEK 5 THOUGHTS:

Wiseman: Week 4’s fight announcement of Kelvin Gastelum vs. Bubba McDaniel looked to be a clear win for Team Jones. I was looking forward to seeing the game plan for Gastelum, to hear what Sonnen had to say, but there wasn’t much to see in the training sessions for either fighter. Bubba was praised as the fighter with the most experience and Gastelum was expected to fail because he was the fighter with the least amount of experience. The key surprise for me was the way Sonnen went about exciting Gastelum and his team. He brought in Mickey Rourke and had Ronda Rousey promise a training session if Gastelum pulled off a win. Sonnen so far is honest, real and confident which is rubbing off on his team. Jones hasn’t been shown to give the same kind of advice or experience thus far in the season and may be giving his team too much control. One fighter in particular that has been seeming to run his mouth since the beginning is Josh Samman. Samman talked to Jones about not wanting to fight next because of injuries and the coaches reminded Jones that this is his team. Certainly something to keep an eye on as the season progresses and it promises for some conflict which will test if Jones will take the leadership role more.

KELVIN GASTELUM VS BUBBA MCDANIEL

Kelvin Gastelum vs Bubba McDaniel TUF Season 17 Week 5.

The fight was back-and-forth. Gastelum displayed good ground defense, takedown defense and so-so striking. He surprised Bubba, as well as most of the fighters, as he secured a rear-naked choke win in the second round. Another huge confidence builder for Team Sonnen. The next fight will be between Tor Troeng vs. Josh Samman. With Samman already being injuried, when training for a match, next week’s episode promises the test I’ve personally been waiting for. Will Jon Jones take charge?